17 families displaced after fire destroys building at Columbus’ Whisperwood Apartments
A raging blaze reported at 3 a.m. Wednesday tore through a Whisperwood Apartment building, displacing 17 families and injuring three Columbus firefighters, authorities said.
Fire Marshal Ricky Shores said the residents escaped safely, but firefighters arriving on the scene did not know that and conducted a search and rescue mission to ensure no one was left inside. By then the flames had eaten into the attic, and the roof collapsed, he said.
The three firefighters hurt were taken to the hospital for treatment, but their injuries were not serious, he said.
The apartment complex at 6029 Flat Rock Road in east Columbus was off-limits to reporters later Wednesday as managers declined to comment on the fire.
Shores said the apartments affected were believed to be those numbered 437 through 454, and the building was expected to be a total loss. Once a fire gets into an attic space, “it’s almost impossible to keep it from taking the roof off,” he said.
How to help
The Southwest Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross deployed to assist families left homeless by the blaze.
Executive Director Adlelaide Kirk said the Red Cross was on the scene by 5 a.m., offering financial aid to any families who needed lodging immediately in a hotel or other facility.
Often people left homeless move in with other family or friends, but some don’t have that option, she said: “We’re that stopgap so no one’s standing there saying, ‘I don’t know what to do.’”
Whisperwood has 13 vacant units available, but whether those would suit the needs of the residents displaced was not clear, Kirk said.
She said she was at the complex at 6:30 a.m., and saw that among those affected were a mother with a 3-year-old and a 2-month-old, and another mother with a special-needs child. She was unsure who else lost their home. “I know that it probably runs the gamut,” she said.
Whisperwood and the Red Cross are asking anyone who wants to help to purchase gift cards, preferably the kind that can be used anywhere or at discount stores offering a range of goods, and drop them off at the Whisperwood management office on Flat Rock Road. Though the apartments are gated, visitors can access the office, she said.
Gift cards are more practical than donated goods, which must be inspected and sorted for distribution, Kirk said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 9:29 AM.